Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has called on fans to trust him as the Blues target Europa Conference League success.
The Italian is under increasing pressure from the club’s loyalist supporters and felt their displeasure during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Ipswich.
Chelsea players and staff were booed after going 2-0 down, something which Maresca later suggested impacted his team’s performance.
He went on to add that the hostile environment stopped his team from playing the way he wanted them to, ultimately leading to them dropping points.
And unsurprisingly, further questions on his future at the club have been raised ahead of Chelsea’s quarter-final second leg against Legia Warsaw.
When asked whether he can entertain Chelsea’s fans, Maresca said: “I am not able to do a different style.
The second leg of our #UECL quarter-final comes next. 😤 pic.twitter.com/PFqvadaATN
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 16, 2025
“The message [is] that with [the] fans [behind us] we are a better team. I completely understand that, as a team, we have to engage our fans. That’s something that on Sunday we were not able to do, especially for those 20 or 25 minutes. It is also on us to be good enough to engage our fans.”
Following Sunday’s result, Chelsea dropped to sixth in the Premier League and are now at serious risk of missing out on the Champions League next season.
With a top-five finish now needed to guarantee a spot in the elite competition, Maresca went on to defend himself, adding: “I think we proved this season [that we are progressing] even if sometimes from the outside it is difficult to see.
“In the last two years Chelsea has been in the top four zero times. This season we have been in the top four for most of the season. I don’t know why – I wasn’t here last season or two years ago – I am not judging those seasons, just this season.
“But I think the fans have to trust us, the team and what the club is doing now because if in the last two seasons Chelsea was not in the top four and this season Chelsea was in the top four most of the year – that’s big proof the team is improving and doing the right things.
“For me, is that enough? No, because I would like to fight for titles, fight for the Premier League and Champions League.
“We can reach a European semi-final, which, yes, it isn’t the Champions League but it is still a European competition. It’s quite clear the direction and style is the right one.
“Before Ipswich, we were the third best defenders and fourth or fifth best attackers. After Ipswich, we are upset and we are going to try to win more games to reach the Champions League spot.”
